outlet

I have to be honest. Discount, outlet and secondhand stores are not my cup of tea. I am a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. I understand you can find a deal here and there, but I do not hunt. Asheville has a bunch of discount shopping stores all around. In addition to that, there are many consignment shops. Plus places like Goodwill have some great finds here and there. I am all for saving a buck, but not at my expense. Amazon and Ebay have plenty of deals, but you also have to be careful because I have also found out a few times that the retail store prices were actually cheaper. And ladies, watch out for those fake Coach bags! Sometimes you think you are getting a deal, but in reality you’re not. Many years ago, a friend of mine asked why I was buying a shirt at a Superstore in the area. I told him that the shirt was just as good as his Eddie Bauer and Gap shirts. He laughed and went on to explain to me about thread count and the better materials being used, how much longer it lasted, how it cleaned and ironed better, and how much more I would care for something of value. He was right.

Today, I just don’t like cheap merchandise, stuff or anything! I rather one $20 Christmas gift than twenty $1 gifts. Quality over quantity. For example, when a friend of mine first told me about a $50 steak at Ruth’s Chris, my immediate reaction was “it must be great!” And it was. I also remember years ago watching the craze for a line of blue-jeans called Parasuco. I saw a video clip on TV of a pickup truck speeding and crashing through the front of a store, a bunch of guys jumping out with masks, clearing the shelves of only Parasuco jeans, and taking off. That is called a “five finger discount” around here lol. I thought “these jeans must be valuable”… so I went online, saw they were hundreds of dollars on the website, and then I went to Ebay and purchased several pairs for about $70 a piece. With the proper research, that was my type of deal!

Recently, the family decided to stop by Overstock Outlet in Asheville North Carolina. My expectations were low, but after being there for a few minutes, I realized that this place did not stock a bunch of junk. I walked through and was able to find a bunch of quality items of value such as clothing, tents, camping supplies, fishing gear, electronics, housewares, food, gadgets and plenty more. I then understood the level of merchandise they had, and how the discounts were being passed down to local shoppers. These are items that a retail store have too much of, or maybe in a damaged box, and sometimes discontinued selections. Much like the bed mattresses that ReBed offers. I picked out a few things that I could really use, and then my daughter showed up with a big stuffed animal duck in her arms. I estimated the value in my head at $40, looked at the price tag, saw it was only $7, and ended up with a smile on my face. She was excited too!

And she did not want to let her find go, so I chauffeured her around in the shopping cart with Ms. Duck. We also found an easel that was $70 in other stores, and only $13 here. I talked to the owner and he mentioned how they go through every item to assure it is complete and really a good deal. If not, they do not put it on the shelves. The conclusion… we will definitely take a few minutes to stop by every now and then to see what they have. And I will buy here again. Asheville’s Overstock Outlet has 3 area locations, one in Candler on Smoky Park Highway right before you hit Hwy 151. The other is on Sardis Road near the Brevard Rd end. And lastly, they have one in Mills River.